Deciet: Second in the Slayer Chronicles
by JustinsbabeC
Summary: The path is lit...the feelings of love are stirring......but can Serena and Angel survive the trek to regain Angel's lost humanity?
1. Chapter 1

Deceit: The Slayer Chronicles  
  
Prologue: Outside Los Angeles.  
  
A young man stared out at the full moon. His followers were waiting for him, although they were busy planning their attack. He turned his back on the golden orb and strode inside the crypt, leaves crackling beneath his feet. As soon as he entered, everyone stopped in their tracks and stared respectfully at their leader.  
  
The young man waved his hand and everyone continued their work. An old man approached him. "Sir?" the old man squeaked.  
  
"Yes?" the obvious leader bellowed. The old man shuddered.  
  
"Um, we have obtained some sections of the prophecies as you have asked." The old man told the leader timidly.  
  
An evil smiled crossed the young man's handsome face. "Very good. Everything is going according to plan. Everything must be perfect. I will prevent the one vampire with a soul from regaining his humanity." A deep laugh echoed throughout the crypt. "It will be the end.."  
  
Deceit: The Slayer Chronicles  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"So you're telling me that bitchy Slayer girl will help our buddy Angel here become human?!" Gunn began to laugh hysterically. "Next you're gonna tell me that the Slayer is just a little girl who plays with a pointy stick! Actually, that's not far off."  
  
"Hey! I may be young, and it may be a pointy stick, but I know how to use it!" Serena threatened. "I know how to handle myself. You seem to forget that." Her fingers itched to grab a stake and show Gunn what she was talking about. "I saved your ass a few times! Let's see who can handle pointy sticks better?"  
  
Gunn was about to reply, but Wesley cut in. "Gunn, Serena, please!" Wesley pleaded. "Not now." Serena rolled her eyes.  
  
"How? How will she help me?" Angel asked, the curiosity and hope burning inside him.  
  
"She has been sent to regain your humanity. That's all I know." The psychic demon replied, sipping his drink.  
  
Angel swallowed, not believing his ears. He was going to be human, finally.  
  
"Angel, don't get excited. You need to keep doing what you're doing. Or redemption will never come. But things should start heating up again." The demon bar owner warned. "Heating up?" Serena asked, becoming serious.  
  
"Yup. Just stay on your toes. Someone doesn't want Angel human. They'll try everything to stop you." The demon sighed. "That's all I can say for now. How about hitting the mike, big guy?" the psychic demon asked Angel.  
  
Angel shot him a dirty look. "No thanks. I think you answered our questions for the time being." He stood. "Ready to go?" he asked his crew.  
  
"I am." Serena stood.  
  
Cordelia shook her head. "I think Wes, Gunn, and I are gonna hit another bar." She read Angel's face. "Don't worry, we won't drink too much or be out too late, and we'll be careful, and if anything happens, we'll call you." Cordy jumped in before Angel could say a word.  
  
"All right.We'll see you later!" Angel looked stunned, and began to walk towards the exit.  
  
"Oh, Angel?" Angel turned. "Don't do anything that might turn you evil." Cordelia smiled.  
  
Angel smiled too. "Never." He replied. Serena took his arm and they walked from the karaoke bar. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Serena studied Angel's face as he drove. When she looked into his eyes after leaving the karaoke bar, she saw a spark of something she had never seen before in his eyes. Hope. Hundreds of thoughts ran through her mind. What was her role in helping Angel receive humanity? Would she have to die for him? She shook her head and stared at the road.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Angel's voice cut through the hum of the accelerator and the sound of the tires. His eyes never moved from the road.  
  
"How did you know I was thinking about anything?" She replied, running her fingers through her long dark hair.  
  
"After what we found out, there's nothing else you would be thinking of." Angel glanced at her. She looked in his eyes. He noticed the worry in her eyes.  
  
"What are you worried about?" He asked, looking back at the road. "Before you say a word, it's written all over your face."  
  
Serena laughed quietly. Ever since the day she met him, he had an uncanny way of knowing what she was thinking. It made her feel uncomfortable at times, to feel like he was somehow reading her mind. But she dismissed it. She had no one left in the world except her little sister, Dawn, who was living with Giles. Serena's mother and sister died only a short time ago, and Giles was Buffy's, her sister's, Watcher. Buffy was the Slayer, and when she died, she passed the gift on to Serena. Serena felt very alone when she came to find Angel, and when she learned of her sister's and mother's death, she felt even more alone. Somehow, she found a comfort in Angel, knowing he was lonely too. Now, she felt like she had a purpose, saving the innocent from the darkness many were oblivious of.  
  
Serena sighed. "I guess I'm worried about my role in your redemption." She paused. "I mean, I know I'm supposed to help you get it, but what am I going to have to do? Am I going to get killed? What if this never happens? Those are some of the questions repeating themselves over and over in my mind."  
  
"I don't know what to tell you because I don't have answers myself. Some of those same questions were running through my mind." He smiled at her.  
  
"You're excited about this, aren't you? I don't think I've ever saw you excited before." Serena commented.  
  
"Its definitely a feeling I'm not used to. Anticipating a battle, that's different." He shook his head, as if to clear it. "In all of my 245 years as a vampire, I've done some pretty bad things. Torture, mass murder, just to name a few. I've had my ups and downs, like any person. But the last century or so, I've worked for redemption. I tried to make up for all of the destruction I caused as Angelus. Now, for it to actually come true." Serena touched his arm.  
  
"I can't even imagine how you feel right now." Angel pulled in front of the hotel. Her grip tightened, fingers burying into his arm. "But Angel, the psychic guy was right. We can't lose perspective, or we'll lose your redemption instead. We have to do what we do best, and that's kill evil stuff. Don't let all this humanity talk get to your head."  
  
Angel smiled at her wearily. "I know, Serena. Trust me, I know." Gingerly, she let go of his arm.  
  
"I'm beat. Let's go inside." Angel suggested. "The sun's going to come up in a couple of hours and I need sleep. Are you coming?"  
  
Serena nodded, stepping out of the car. She took Angel's outstretched hand and walked into the hotel.  
  
Angel swung her into his arms and gently brushed her lips with his. Her heart pounded in her ears as the kiss became deeper. She pulled him close, enjoying the feel of his body against hers.  
  
Someone cleared their throat. Angel broke this kiss and they both looked uncomfortably at the intruders. Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia. There was an uneasy silence.  
  
"Uh, well. I won't say anything if you won't." Wesley reasoned.  
  
"Y'all need to do that kinda stuff in places where people won't walk in on you." Gunn muttered in disgust.  
  
"What are you guys doing home so early?" Angel asked, ignoring the comments.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I had a vision." Cordy said matter-of-factly. "You know, I was drinking a little, a guy was hitting on me, and then a vision decided at that moment to hit. You should talk to The Powers That Be about their timing."  
  
"Cordy, the vision?" Angel asked impatiently.  
  
"Oh, right. The vision. A young woman in an alley with a few vamps, behind a restaurant." Cordelia described.  
  
"Oh, wow, that narrows it down to only 2,000 restaurants in the Los Angeles area." Serena remarked dryly.  
  
Cordelia shot her a dirty look. "It was behind the old Chinese restaurant on Forsyth Street." Angel nodded at Serena and Gunn. Serena grabbed her sword and followed Gunn and Angel to the car.  
  
*****  
  
The muffled screams told Serena they were in the right place. Needing no invitation, she, Angel, and Gunn walked up to a group of vampires just as one was about to bite the young woman. Serena used her power to shove the vampire away from the woman. She turned to the lady. "Go, get out of here." The woman screamed and ran from the alley.  
  
"Hey, that was our dinner!" A vampire with rainbow clothing snarled. "Guess you'll have to do."  
  
"Can I make one suggestion?" Serena asked sweetly. "Take a look in a mirror. You need to get some new clothes." She spat, and kicked the grinning vampire in front of her in the face. It staggered back and she quickly decapitated it. She glanced at Angel and Gunn. They were busy fighting their own ugly vampires. Another vampire lunged at her and knocked the sword from her hand.  
  
"Okay, I didn't need that anyway." She pulled a stake from her jacket and buried into the chest of the vamp in front of her. It exploded into dust. She slipped the stake back into her pocket and picked up her sword, and slid it into the sheath. She looked over at Angel and Gunn. They were wiping the dust and ash from their clothes.  
  
"All done here." She called. Out of the corner of her eye, there was a flash of movement. She whipped around and scanned the long path. There was nothing there. All of a sudden, she saw it again. She peered at it, not quite believing her eyes. It looked like a shadow of a large cat. When it walked into patches of darkness, it disappeared. When it walked under a light, it was black, and seemed never ending, like a black hole. She shook her head. It disappeared.  
  
"Did you guys see that?" she asked, turning towards them.  
  
"See what?" Angel asked, walking up next to her and gazed down the long alleyway. "I don't see anything."  
  
"It's gone now." Serena retorted. Serena sighed.  
  
"Let's get back to Wesley and Cordelia. Then you can tell everyone what you saw and maybe Wesley will know what it is." Angel put an arm around her and led her back to the car.  
  
*****  
  
"Describe what you saw." Wesley told Serena gently, pen and paper in hand.  
  
"Okay. Just give me a second." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It was like a shadow. It looked like a large cat of some sort. But it was weird. Under some light, you can make it out. It seemed dark and bottomless, like the bottomless pit or something. But as soon as it walked into darkness, it seemed to blend in and disappear." Serena described.  
  
"So it was a bottomless, dark, shadow creature." Wesley said, eyeing her.  
  
"Yes, that's pretty much." Serena glared at him. "You don't believe me, do you?" "I never said that." Wesley objected.  
  
"No, but your look said it all." Serena said through gritted teeth. She stood. "I know what I saw. You don't have to believe me; I don't care. But all I know is that when I looked at it, I could feel its evil. And I'm going to stop it, with or without your help." She turned and stormed up the stairs.  
  
Gunn glanced at Angel. "The girl isn't exactly dealin' with a full deck, is she?"  
  
Angel just stared at the floor. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Angel rubbed his eyes as he walked to his room. He slowed as he came upon Serena's closed door, but decided to let her cool off before talking to her. He walked into his room and sighed, exhausted from the night of singing and fighting. He pulled off his shirt and threw it onto the bed. He sensed a familiar presence in his room.  
  
Without turning, he said, "So, are you waiting for me to take off all my clothes, or are you gonna stop hiding and come out?"  
  
Fabric rustled, and a small laugh cut through the silence. "I don't know how you do it." A voice told him. He turned to find Serena standing there.  
  
"I thought you would be asleep right now." He said and yawned.  
  
"I've got too much on my mind. I can't sleep. I've tried." She sat on the bed and looked up at his face. "Do you believe me?"  
  
"About what?" Angel asked, knowing fully what she was asking.  
  
"For someone who seems to read my mind all the time, you should know." Serena responded, giving him a look, telling him she wasn't buying it.  
  
"I don't read your mind. We just think alike." He corrected, avoiding the subject.  
  
"So now you've taken up beating around the bushes. Answer my question, Angel." Her voice told him she meant business.  
  
"I believe you saw something. I just don't know what." Angel said carefully.  
  
"Oh, great. You know, I thought you, of all people, would believe me. But I guess I was wrong." Serena growled.  
  
"Serena." Angel started.  
  
"Forget it. I'll find out what's going on myself, without your help." Serena began to leave.  
  
"Serena, wait." He caught her arm. She turned and glared at him. "Trust me, from the bottom of my heart, I want to believe you. We can go and look for whatever it is, together." Angel reasoned.  
  
Serena's face grew even angrier. "From the bottom of your heart, huh? What good is that? Your heart doesn't beat, remember?" She pulled her arm from his grasp and ignored the hurt expression on his face. She stalked out of the room before another word was said.  
  
*****  
  
It was night again. Everyone else was back at the hotel, probably oblivious to her leaving. Serena's senses were in full blown effect, every sound, every movement being registered into her mind. She was determined to find her shadow monster.  
  
Serena scolded herself for losing her temper with Angel and actually saying those cruel things to him. She knew she hurt him, although he didn't show it. He had acted a little more frigid than usual a few hours before, and barely said two words to her. She didn't mean what she said. She let her temper get the best of her.  
  
I have to work on that. She told herself as she patrolled the alleyways around where she saw her creature. But something's going on. And I'm going to find out what it is. Even without everyone's help.  
  
She had an eerie feeling that she was being watched, and it was beginning to creep her out. It wasn't the feeling of just being stared at, but the feeling that whatever that was watching her was penetrating her, violating her. She shuddered.  
  
Serena saw a movement out of the corner of her eye, and used her power to throw it up against a brick wall as she turned to face whatever it was.  
  
"Ow!" a familiar voice groaned.  
  
"Wesley? Is that you?" Serena asked as she crept towards the wall.  
  
"Yes, I believe it is." His voice cracked.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." She hurried and helped the British man onto his feet. "You shouldn't sneak up on the Slayer." She scolded.  
  
"Ah, yes. Perhaps you are right." Wesley nodded.  
  
"Perhaps." She agreed, mimicking Wesley. "How did you know where I was?" She asked curiously, wrapping Wesley's arm around her neck.  
  
"Oh, I'm alright. The back is a little sore." He told her. "I figured you would be looking for your shadow creature around the area where you saw it."  
  
"Well, you were right. Let's get you back so you can sit down. I am sorry." She apologized again as they began to walk.  
  
"Its quite alright. I shouldn't have snuck up on you." Wesley gave her a small smile. They walked a few blocks in silence.  
  
"Let me ask you something." Wesley began, walking stiffly. "Do you feel like we're."  
  
"Being watched?" She finished. "I've been having that feeling all night. I'm glad I'm not alone now. It's the eepiest feeling."  
  
Wesley gave her a strange look. "Eepiest?"  
  
"Yeah, a cross between eerie and creepy." She smiled. "That's the only word I could find to describe the feeling."  
  
Something moved ahead of them. "Did you see that?" Serena asked, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling.  
  
"I'm not sure. I saw something." Wesley trailed off, peering into the darkness. There was more movement as a shadow creature passed underneath a street light. "What was that?" Wesley whispered, as the creature disappeared in the darkness.  
  
"Do you believe me now?" Serena asked, giving him a "I told you so" look.  
  
"Uh, yes, I believe I do. Just go kill it, please." Wesley pleaded, feeling absolutely, uh, eepy.  
  
"Sure boss. Whatever you say." She began to walk toward the street lamp where she last saw her monster when she was hit from behind. She fell onto her stomach, her chin scraping the sidewalk. A coppery taste filled her mouth. She realized her lip was cracked and bleeding. She cursed as she rolled over and flipped back onto her feet. She turned toward the street lamp and saw a massive shadow, at least 7 feet tall at the shoulder, standing beneath it. It was huge and cat-like. She lunged at it, but passed right through it.  
  
"Wesley, these things aren't solid!" she yelled, hoping he would hear. The shadow creature rammed her right in the stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut as pain exploded throughout her body. The shadow drove her into the lamp post. It disappeared back into the darkness.  
  
Wesley ran over to her and helped her up. She looked at him and noticed a gash down his cheek that wasn't there before. "Run." They took off, running toward the hotel. Serena could sense the thing following them. "Faster!" she called to Wesley, who was only a few strides behind her. They finally made it to the hotel where they dove inside and slammed the door shut behind them.  
  
"Oh my gosh. Angel! Get in here!" Cordelia called rushing over to them. Serena collapsed to her knees and coughed up blood. Angel hurried out of his office and ran to Serena's side.  
  
"What happened?" he asked, helping Serena up.  
  
"Well, I have physical proof shadow creatures do exist." Serena mumbled.  
  
"And a witness." Wesley agreed, sitting down in a chair.  
  
"You still didn't explain what happened or why you disappeared on us." Angel told Serena. She sighed, coughed up some more blood, and told everyone what happened.  
  
"So, I am playing with a full deck, Gunn." He gave her a embarrassed smile.  
  
"How many were there?" Angel asked.  
  
"I don't know. One or two, maybe. I know one attacked me. Wesley, did one attack you? You didn't have a cut on your cheek before." Serena commented, wiping the blood from her chin.  
  
"Ah, let me think." He stared of into space, then snapped back into reality. "If I remember correctly, one was slamming you into the lamp post when one in front of me swiped a paw. One of his claws scratched me. It was so strange. It was right in front of me, and I couldn't see it until it moved."  
  
"So there were at least two." Angel summarized. "Anything else you can remember?"  
  
"I couldn't hit them. My fist past right through it, as if it weren't real. But when it hit into me, boy, it felt real. Angel, the thing was huge. It's shoulder was above me. Seven feet to the shoulder, easy." She shook her head.  
  
"Okay, we'll find out as much as we can." Angel said. "In the meantime, we need to get you cleaned up. Both of you are injured."  
  
"But I heal quickly." Serena objected. "We need to find these things and kill them before they injure or kill anyone else."  
  
"But you are injured and we don't need you killed. You'll heal quickly, yes. First we need to find out as much as we can about this...this thing."  
  
Serena nodded reluctantly. "Help me get upstairs." She leaned heavily against him as they walked to her room. She sat on the edge of the bed and Angel knelt on his knees. He touched her side. Serena winced.  
  
"And you want to go back and fight shadows with a mean punch when you can barely walk by yourself." Angel shook his head at her, and smiled. "Let me take a look at that." He felt around, and then said, "You have a cracked rib or two. Not surprising since that thing rammed you full force."  
  
She smiled. He went to go get some bandages and returned with a thick roll of gauze. He stared at her. "You're going to have to take off your shirt, so I can wrap your ribs." He said hoarsely, looking away.  
  
"Okay, hold on." She tried to pull her T-shirt over her head, but was unsuccessful.  
  
"Here, let me help you." Angel gently lifted the shirt over her head. He realized that she was pretty much topless, besides the bra she wore. "You're going to have to stand up." He told her, helping her up. He began to wrap the gauze around her ribs.  
  
There was a silence. "Angel." She stopped him and stared at his face. He looked back at her with those beautiful, mysterious eyes. She looked down at the floor. "Angel, I didn't mean what I said the other night. I was angry. My temper got the better of me." She looked back up. He studied her face. "I know that the apology doesn't excuse it, but." He stopped her.  
  
"It's okay. Don't worry about it." He began to work again. She grabbed his arm. "I am worried about it, because if someone said something like that to me." She paused to think. "It would hurt."  
  
"I know it was through anger. I know you have a temper. I know you didn't mean it." He smiled at her. "Don't worry." He pulled her close and kissed her. "Now, I have to finish this, then go help Wesley with research."  
  
"I'll help." She offered. "I can't sleep anyway."  
  
He grinned at her. "If I didn't know better, I swear you're becoming the mind-reader!"  
  
*****  
  
A man watched the couple kiss, disguised by the darkness that surrounded him. He grinned as he stroked the side of each of the giant shadow felines on either side of him. "You have done well , my pets. We have wounded the team. Everything is going according to plan." He let out a low, evil laugh. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
"There's absolutely nothing in these books about shadow monsters." Cordelia said, her patience wearing thin.  
  
"I haven't found anything either." Wesley agreed. Angel continued to flip pages, while Gunn sat there, bored.  
  
Serena looked up from the book she was looking at. "Wes, I have an idea." Wesley put down the book he was skimming. "When I was fighting it, it wasn't solid. It was like it was a ghost or something that can become solid in its will to defend itself. Maybe you could find a spell that could turn this shadow solid somehow, so Angel, Gunn, and I could actually do some damage the next time we encounter it."  
  
"Yes, that's a good idea. I'll begin looking in some of my books." Wesley began to rummage through the piles of books sitting on the table. "Ah, yes. Here it is. A spell to turn creatures, like our friends, solid. Hmm." He scanned the list of ingredients. "I need to go out and find some of these ingredients. Gunn, come with me, just in case we run into something."  
  
"Or something runs into us." Gunn replied, hopping off of the counter and following Wesley out the door.  
  
"Uh, guys? I'm about to get a." Cordy began, not able to finish her sentence as a blinding pain hit her. Serena ran over to her, flinching from the pain of her ribs, and waited for it to be over.  
  
"A vision?" Serena asked smiling.  
  
"Yeah." Cordelia wiped the sweat from her forehead. She turned to Wesley and Gunn. "You guys need to wait a second."  
  
"What did you see?" Angel asked.  
  
"Our shadow puppets attacking a mansion up in the hills. Laurel Drive. It'll be the house with exploding windows."  
  
"Wes, Gunn, you get what you need and meet us up there as soon as you can. Take your cell phone and we'll take mine. Cordy, you coming with?" Angel asked.  
  
"I don't think so, judging the by the damage they did to the Slayer. I think I'll get rid of this headache." Cordy smiled.  
  
"Okay." Angel turned to Gunn and Wes. "Lets go."  
  
*****  
  
Angel sped down a narrow road. He glanced at Serena. "Are you nervous?" he asked, studying her expression.  
  
She smiled briefly at him and took a deep breath. "I just know that there's no way to stop these things until Wesley and Gunn get here. We'll just be human punching bags." She turned back towards the moon, staring at the golden glow.  
  
"There's Laurel Drive, coming up." Serena pointed. Suddenly, an unseen thing rammed the car, making it fly into a yard.  
  
"Hold on." Angel called through gritted teeth as he tried to stop the car while it was spinning. A few seconds later, the car stopped with a halt. Angel and Serena climbed from the car. A shadow darted underneath a light.  
  
"Damn, we got visitors." Serena mumbled to Angel.  
  
"I only saw one. You go and find the house. I'll take care of this one." Angel told her.  
  
"But, Angel." Serena protested.  
  
"It won't let both of us through. You go, I'll take care of this one." Angel explained urgently as he approached the last spot they saw the shadow.  
  
With a swift nod, Serena bolted towards Laurel Drive. Nothing tried to stop her. She sped down the road until she saw a house with exploding windows on her right. Nice call, Cordy. Serena thought as she cut across the lawn. She raced toward the front door, but she ran right into and invisible forcefield. She landed on her back. No, not a forcefield, a shadow creature. Serena sprung back to her feet and bolted around to the back of the house. She heard a scream from inside the house. Using all of her senses, she began to climb the terris that clung to the side of the house. Plants wove their way up through the terris and reached for the sky. Thorns scraped at Serena's arms, legs and face, but she kept going until she reached a second story window. Gingerly, she climbed into the window, her pulse vibrating from the unexpected climb. She heard another short yell and dashed into the hall, then stopped and listened. Every Slayer sense was tuned in and waiting. Heavy footsteps fluctuated through the upstairs floor and right to the Slayer. Her body tense, she began to move again, down the steps. Step by step, she cautiously waited a moment before moving to the next step. She turned left at the bottom of the stairs and crept through the foyer into the kitchen. Right by the kitchen table, she noticed a pile of clothing just laying there. She cursed the darkness and silently wondered where Angel was. As she peered at the pile, it began to move. She gasped, but scolded herself for being so silly. It was not a pile of clothing. It was a fallen human body. Serena rushed toward the body, turning it to its back. She checked for a pulse. She found one, a very weak one. She peered at the face. It was a young man's very handsome face. His face was very peaceful, as if sleeping. Something inside Serena stirred at the sight. This man was very well built, very solid and strong. The man stirred and groaned. His eyes blinked open and Serena was mesmerized by glowing sapphires peering at her curiously. This man made a move to sit up, and struggled.  
  
"Here." Serena helped this man stand up and sit in a kitchen chair.  
  
"Thanks." He murmured, staring at her. He coughed and then asked, "If you don't mind me asking, who are you and what's going on?"  
  
Serena's mind racked for a suitable explanation, or at least a half-decent lie she could pull off. "Um, well, I was taking a walk, unusual for me, and I saw your windows, uh," Don't use exploding, Serena. She told herself, "breaking, and I heard a yell, so I came in and found you lying on the ground." Not bad. Not bad at all. Actually, it's very believable. she congratulated herself.  
  
"Oh. Well, thank you from saving me from...from.what exactly did you save me from?" The young man was puzzled.  
  
"I don't exactly know. But I'll get us out of here." Hopefully. She added silently.  
  
The young man just sat with his head in his hands and quietly prayed. Sorry, man. A prayer won't help you out of this. Trust me, I tried it. Serena thought grimly. She stood and walked to the glass French doors that opened from the kitchen to the patio. She noticed the glass had been unbroken. Just as she touched the glass lightly, it exploded under her fingers into hundreds of shards. She turned from the doors and leaped, grabbing the man and shielding him from the flying glass daggers. She bit her lip and winced in pain as a few small pieces flew through her sweatshirt she was wearing and into her skin. Then, all of a sudden, silence. The glass stopped flying and everything was calm.  
  
"Are you okay?" Serena asked hoarsely, ignoring the pinpoint pain throbbing all over her back.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. I just got grazed by a small piece on my arm, but that's okay. How about you? You saved my life!" The young man helped her stand.  
  
Serena forced the smile. "I'm fine. A few pieces flew by, but my sweatshirt protected me. Nothing hit me. Let's get out of here, then I'll look at your arm." The young man smiled graciously. Serena looked around for a moment, searching for an already broken window. She spotted one, in the dining room.  
  
"Okay, lets go." The young man followed her to the dining room. "Go through the window and into the street. If you see something, uh, unusual, go down the street until you find a man by the name of Angel and tell him what you think you saw and tell him to come and help me." Serena instructed firmly.  
  
"But, what's." the man sputtered, confused.  
  
"No time for questions. Go!" Serena commanded, pointing towards the window. The young man wasted no time and leaped through the window. She watched him stumble through the yard. It was her turn. She carefully hopped through the window and began to trot towards the street when an invisible force hit her side and sent her flying 20 feet. She landed awkwardly on her shoulder. Serena gritted her teeth and stood, facing her attacker. She saw the man on the street, yelling to her to get out of there, to run. She ignored him and scanned the front yard, searching for a moving shadow. The shadow hit her in the back this time and her face flew into the grass. She stood again. She would not be defeated. Suddenly, a car drove up containing Wesley and Gunn.  
  
"Oh, thank GOD." Serena mumbled, and the shadow monster picked her up and threw her against a tree. She heard Wesley ramble some foreign, exotic words, words to a spell, and threw some shimmering dust into the air. The dust seemed to float in the air, and slowly moved toward the shadow thing in front of her, until it settled on it. Somehow, she knew that the thing was solid. Taking action, she kicked the face of the shadow that was coming toward her, and then punched it. For the first time, she heard the thing howl in pain. It sounded like a blend of a shriek and a bellow. She grabbed what she considered to be the things neck between her legs and began to twist, until she heard a satisfying pop. Exhausted she laid on the ground, gasping for breath. She felt the blood seeping into her sweatshirt, the jagged pieces of glass protruding from her skin. She felt a presence stand above her and she opened her eyes.  
  
"Looks like I missed all the fun!" Angel commented, helping her up. She smiled weakly.  
  
"Yeah, well, whatever you say." She grumbled. "Did you kill your shadow thing?" she asked.  
  
"No. It got away, and I thought I would join the party." Angel shrugged. "We'll get it next time."  
  
She suddenly remembered the young man, and turned towards the street. He stood there, looking bewildered. "I'll be right back." She told Angel, steadying herself using his arm, then walking toward the street.  
  
The young man saw her coming. "What the hell happened?" he demanded.  
  
"It's a long story." She told him truthfully. "I'm Serena." She stuck out her hand.  
  
"Christian." He replied, shaking her hand gently. "You saved my life back there, twice, at least. How do I repay you?" he asked gratefully.  
  
"You don't. It's my job." She informed him. "Don't worry about it." She turned and walked back to Angel. Wesley and Gunn joined them.  
  
"Wes, I got some glass in my back from those exploding windows Cordy told us about." She said, wincing from the pinpoint pains all over her back. "I need you to dig them out."  
  
"Who was that guy?" Angel asked, glancing over at Christian on the street.  
  
"He was the guy in the house that needed saving." Serena told him.  
  
Angel eyed Serena critically. "But, Serena, Cordy's vision had nothing about someone in the house."  
  
Serena realized he was right. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
"There is only one more. This one is deep, so brace yourself." Wesley told Serena, then began to dig for the last shard of glass lost in her skin. She closed her eyes and ignored the pain.  
  
"There it is." Wesley dug deeper. "Almost got it.." He paused, concentrating. "There, got it." He triumphantly held the sharp glass with his tweezers.  
  
Serena sat up on the couch and rubbed her forehead in deep thought. "So what do we do about Christian?" She wanted to add that she felt an attraction, but pushed the feeling aside.  
  
Besides, Angel was there, and there was a thing there between them. She didn't know what to call it exactly, but it was most definitely a thing. She continued, ignoring her own thoughts.  
  
"Cordelia said that there was no one in her vision that needed rescuing. Do you think that she could be mistaken?" She desperately searched for an answer.  
  
"No, I'm not mistaken. I know for a fact that whoever owns that house was away.Christian wasn't supposed to be there." Cordelia repeated.  
  
"B-but." Serena wanted to protect Christian as much as she could, without giving her feelings away. "Then why was he there?"  
  
Angel, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out." He stood and sat next to Serena. "You're going to help get the answers."  
  
Serena looked bewildered. "Me?" she squeaked. "Why me?"  
  
"Because he has already met you and you saved his life." Angel replied matter-of-factly. "All you have to do is find out the answers to our questions. Maybe nothing's going on. Maybe Cordy was mistaken. But maybe, just maybe, Christian ties in to the whole shadow creature thing."  
  
"Christian? How?" Serena trilled, feeling very uncomfortable.  
  
"I just have this weird gut feeling that he does." Angel replied, standing.  
  
"Trust Angel's gut feeling. It usually leads in the right direction." Cordy piped up.  
  
"Fine. I'll do it." Serena said helplessly. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."  
  
Drained, she walked up the stairs to her room. Angel intercepted her before she could disappear into her room.  
  
"You're acting strange. Is there something wrong?" he asked, worry masking his eyes.  
  
Serena forced herself not to look into his eyes. She would fall if she did. Those beautiful, piercing eyes always saw the truth in her, whether she lied or not. She turned away from him, ignoring the dull aching pain coursing through her.  
  
"I'm fine." She told him lifelessly.  
  
"Did something happen? Serena, look at me." He pleaded, gently grasping her shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eye. Her eyes were clouded and unable to read. He ignored the urge to pull her close, to hold her. She looked so helpless, like she was a little girl, lost.  
  
"Serena." he murmured. The urge was too strong. His lips captured hers, and he was lost in her. Serena's eyes watered, feeling a tug at her heart.  
  
"Angel." She began, breaking the kiss. He looked at her solemnly. "I love you." Her fingers danced lightly across his face. He said nothing. He couldn't say the words he wanted to. He knew the consequences.  
  
She stared at his face, waiting expectantly for an answer. Angel watched her face crumble, and her eyes become damp.  
  
Serena fought the anger that was fast approaching. "See? You can't even tell me you love me." She seethed. "If you do, you turn all evil, and start eating my people and I'd have to kill you." She turned her back to him. "It's not fair."  
  
"You knew when you were coming into this that there were going to be consequences." He forced her around, to face her. "I'm not human, not yet. And as much as we both want it to be that way, it isn't, and it may not ever be that way."  
  
"And what is 'this' exactly? This thing?" She asked, her voice rising. "Love should be reciprocal."  
  
Angel's expression softened. "Serena, you know I do." He did love her, whether she believed it or not. This love inside him was more real than anything he ever felt. It was the one reason why he woke up in the evening, ready to fight the darkness in which he came from, why he was receiving his humanity at all. If she only knew.Angel thought to himself grimly.  
  
"Do I? You never tell me that you love me. I want to be able to hear it." She hid her face from him. He knew she was crying. She never liked to show weakness, especially in front of him.  
  
"I'm tired and going to bed. I suggest you do the same." She closed the door behind her, leaving Angel out in the hallway. He had heard the tears and the hurt in her voice. She couldn't disguise it from him. Heavy- hearted and extremely tired, he laid down and fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
*****  
  
"So you had a dream about Angel after you two have a fight." Cordelia summed up that afternoon. "What does Angel do in the dream?"  
  
Serena turned pink at the thought of the breathtaking dream she had when she fell asleep. "Oh, you know." She trailed off, remembering how she felt in the dream. A smile touched her lips.  
  
"Oh!! Okay, I get your drift!" Cordelia winked. She moved in close. "Was it one of those dreams where you could feel his lips and smell his hair?" she asked, longing for details.  
  
Serena smiled dreamily. "It was definitely surround-sound." She replied. Cordelia smiled at this. This girl was definitely in love.  
  
Serena snapped out of it when she saw Angel walk down the stairs. She shot Cordelia a warning look, who concealed a secret smile. Angel didn't look happy. Serena knew she hurt him, but she couldn't help the way she felt about the "L" word, or the way Christian's eyes glowed in the dark the night before. She was so confused. She was a teenager, the Slayer, in love with a vampire with a soul, and interested in a man who was attacked by shadow monsters and may have something to do with the attacks. She mentally shook her head. All in the life of the Slayer. She sighed. She stood, ready to face Angel.  
  
"So, are we ready to do the Christian thing?" she asked with forced cheerfulness. Angel gazed at her for a moment, then walked into his office. "Okay, that's for the clarification!" She waved at the closed door and slumped in her seat. Her mind drifted back to the dream, still so vivid in her mind. She wanted Angel like that more than anything. She loved him in a way she never thought she could love anybody, especially a vampire. But he was going to be human. That changed everything. Would he still love her after he turned human? The thought frightened her.  
  
"I'm going for a walk." She told Cordelia miserably. Cordy nodded, concerned for her friend, but said nothing and let her go.  
  
The sun shone brightly about an hour before sunset. Serena walked to her favorite spot and settled on the bench, watching the people move about their lives. All of those people were oblivious to the darkness that surrounded them. Oblivious or just ignoring that fact. She thought. Her mind wandered to Christian. Somehow, she knew Angel was right. She had the feeling that Christian was involved with the shadows too. Is that what drew her to him? She knew in order to win this fight, she would have to lie to him and find out all she could about him and how he was involved. She didn't like lying, but if she had to do it, she would. Angel's humanity was on the line. She sensed that is was standing between Angel and his redemption and that she had to help as much as she could. She knew that no matter how much she was drawn to Christian, she loved Angel more deeply than she ever thought she could. She looked up at the sky. The sun had set and darkness was beginning to fall. Better head back. She thought. She turned and found herself face to face with Christian.  
  
"Oh!" she gasped. "Oh, Christian! You scared me!" She placed a hand over her heart.  
  
"I'm sorry." He smiled at her and steadied her.  
  
"How did you know I was here?" she asked, knowing what she had to do . "I was walking in the park and saw you sitting there. I decided to come and thank you once again." Christian said smoothly.  
  
"Oh, well you're welcome. It was no problem, really." Serena answered.  
  
"How about some coffee?" Christian offered. Serena nodded after a few moments.  
  
They ordered their coffee and Serena excused herself. "You know, the ladies room." She forced a sweet smile. She made a beeline for the payphone instead. She dropped in a quarter and punched the buttons.  
  
"Hello? Angel Investigations. We help the helpless!" Cordelia chirped cheerfully.  
  
"Cordy, get Angel. I need to talk to him." Serena said urgently.  
  
"Serena?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Yes. Get Angel. Now." She commanded, impatiently waiting on the phone and anxiously glancing over her shoulder.  
  
"Serena." Angel's voice filled the phone. "Where are you? You just disappeared." She detected a hint of worry in his voice. A good sign.  
  
"I know. I'm sorry. I went out for a walk and was about to come back, when I bumped into guess who?" she filled him in.  
  
"Christian?" Angel asked.  
  
"Bingo." Serena lowered her voice. "I'm having coffee with him right now. I'm going to try to get something out of him, but I'm warning you, I may have to get it out the hard way."  
  
Angel was silent for a moment. "Do whatever you have to, just nothing too drastic." He still cared! Even though he was mad, he still cared.  
  
"I won't." Serena promised quickly. "Angel?"  
  
"Yeah?" he answered.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said, her voice warm.  
  
"We'll talk later. Keep in touch over the phone." He told her. Her heartbeat quickened.  
  
"I will. Stay by the phone. I don't want to go through Cordy again." She glanced at her table. Christian was waiting patiently. "I have to go."  
  
"Okay." What should come next?  
  
Serena decided to go for the plunge. "I love you, Angel. And you don't have to say anything back because I know you do." She said rapidly.  
  
"Like I said before, you know I do. I just am not allowed to say the words." Angel's voice was sad.  
  
"Bye." She hung up the phone and plastered a smile on her face.  
  
She sauntered back over to the table. "Sorry I was so long." She apologized.  
  
Christian grinned. "It's fine."  
  
"So what do you do for a living?" Serena asked with forced interest.  
  
"I am a researcher. I research history, basically." His smile faded to a weak, forced smile.  
  
"History? What kind of history?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, its very complex. You wouldn't understand." His smiled disappeared all together.  
  
"Can I at least see where you work?" she asked, trying to remain cool.  
  
He thought for a second. "I guess it wouldn't hurt." They finished their coffee and began walking. By then, it was easily 9 p.m. She followed Christian to the graveyard.  
  
"What are we doing in a graveyard?" she asked.  
  
"You'll see. Just follow me and stay close." Christian led the way. Before long, they came upon a crypt. "This is where I work."  
  
Possibilities started clicking into Serena's mind. "So, you study the remains of dead people?" she asked, pretending to be disgusted.  
  
"Something like that. I am a medical examiner. This person in this crypt was supposedly murdered. I am trying to tie the suspected murderer to the person who was killed."  
  
"Can we go inside?" She started moving toward the crypt, in an effort to go inside.  
  
"NO!" Christian grabbed her arm, loosing his cool. "No. That is a medical sight that can't be disturbed. You might ruin the evidence." He said, much calmer the second time.  
  
"Oh." Serena had a funny feeling that he was hiding something. She checked her watch. "Oh, wow. I have to be going. I promised my.my brother that I would be home to help him with his homework." She sputtered through her excuse.  
  
"Well, let me walk you to your home." Christian offered.  
  
"No, um, I'll be fine. I want to see you again though." She mentally gagged at this. She no longer found him intriguing, but dangerous.  
  
"Here, have my phone number and call me whenever you're free." Christian smiled as he scribbled his phone number on a sheet of scrap paper. He walked her out of the graveyard.  
  
"Well, goodbye!" Serena walked away. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Angel tapped his finger on the table impatiently as he waited by the phone. It had been over two hours since Serena called him and he was beginning to get nervous. He was worried that she was jumping headlong into something she didn't even have a clue about. He heard footsteps in the lobby of the hotel, and someone welcome that person. He walked out, curious, and found Serena standing there, stone-faced.  
  
"Serena." He called. She turned to him.  
  
"Cordelia, I need you to run a search on Christian Edwards. Tell me what you come up with." Cordelia looked puzzled.  
  
"But why-," Cordy asked.  
  
"Because there's something going on." Serena cut in. "Something a lot bigger than we think. Something more than shadow creatures attacking people for no reason that we know of. Well, I'm going to find out that reason."  
  
Angel looked at her curiously. While Cordelia got to work on the computer, Serena explained what happened. "I'm sorry I couldn't call. I was just doing major investigation." She said when she finished her story.  
  
"So what do you make out of this crypt?" he asked, mentally trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.  
  
"I think there's something in the crypt that he didn't want me to see." She confided. "I also don't think he's really a medical examiner or there's a dead body that he's studying. It's something darker than that."  
  
"How do you know?" Angel asked, surprised by how serious she was.  
  
"I could just sense it, I guess." She shook her head. "It seems like there's something about him that doesn't add up. I have this weird feeling that this has something to do with the prophecies about you becoming human." She stared off into space.  
  
He gazed at her face. He pulled her into his arms. "I was worried about you." He stroked her silky hair and enjoyed the feeling of her in wrapped in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder and gripped him tightly.  
  
"It was really creepy." She said against his neck. She shuddered. "I'm just happy to be back here." She buried her head in his neck and closed her eyes, welcoming the warm waves of pleasure that washed around her. He was worried about her and that felt so good to her.  
  
He just held her. Even though he couldn't say what he felt, what she knew he felt, he could still show it. This was his one way of showing it. He loved holding her like this and he never wanted to let go.  
  
"Um, Serena? I hate to interrupt the moment, but you better come look at this." Cordelia called urgently.  
  
Serena gazed at Angel, and kissed him warmly, then went over to Cordelia. "What did you find?" she asked. She looked over the report in front of her. "Oh my gosh!" She couldn't believe her eyes.  
  
"What?" Angel asked, striding over to the girls.  
  
"Edwards is on probation for manipulating people and starting a cult. A cult?" she asked quizzically. "Hmm." She thought, tapping her lip with her finger. She snapped her fingers.  
  
"So, Edwards is a cult leader. In the prophecies, you can kill whatever he's worshipping, right? So he may want to get rid of you first by using shadow creatures." Serena said triumphantly.  
  
"Why would they come after you?" Angel asked, confused. "If you haven't noticed, they aren't just coming after me." Suddenly it dawned on him. "You help me regain humanity. You are the key. If something happens to you, I get weaker, and they can kill me!"  
  
"Right. When you turn human, you will be strong. Edwards doesn't want that." Serena agreed. "I think we need to hit the streets, to find whatever we can on Edwards, his cult, and his.whatever he's worshipping."  
  
"Guys, it says here that Edwards has an interest in magick. While he was in jail for a short time, some of his friends, who I'm betting are members of his cult, brought him magick books. That explains the shadow creatures." Cordelia informed.  
  
"Wesley, try to find anything you can on Edwards and his cult and what the hell he's worshipping. If you find anything, call the cell phone." Angel instructed. "Gunn, Serena, come with me. We might have to hurt people to get information out of them." Serena, Gunn, and Angel strode out of the hotel.  
  
*****  
  
"Hiya, Eddie boy!" Serena chirped. She sat on the bar stool, glaring at Ed. Ed was a demon bartender that had connections, and whenever the price was right, he would gladly give up the information. He didn't look happy to see the Slayer.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked, wiping the counter off.  
  
"Oh, a Coke and maybe some info to go with that." Serena said nonchalantly. She looked around. "Slow night." She commented.  
  
"Thursdays usually are." Ed agreed, avoiding the subject of the information.  
  
"Hey, Eddie, my man, let's go out back and chat. Do some catching up!" Serena bit, growing impatient.  
  
"Listen," Ed leaned in close, whispering, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Just make it look real ugly, like I don't wanna tell ya." Ed began to wipe the counter down again. Serena hopped over the bar and punched Ed in the face. He keeled back, nose bleeding. He touched it, finding blood on his fingers.  
  
"Damn! I was talking about acting, not the real thing!" he spat. He glared at her angrily.  
  
"Sorry, I'm not in the acting mood. Just tell me what I want to know." Serena told him, tapping her foot. "His name's Edwards, Christian Edwards. Runs a cult. You know him?"  
  
"Edwards, Edwards." Ed mumbled to himself, staring off into space. He snapped back into reality. "Nope, don't know him. Now can you please leave?" Ed looked around nervously, his eyes shifting, not meeting hers.  
  
She used her power and threw him up against the wall. Glass shattered and a table broke. "I don't like that answer, Eddie. I think you're lying to me, and you know how much I hate liars." Anger sparked in her eyes. She stood over the fallen bartender menacingly. She lifted him up by the collar, cutting off his air supply. Ed began to wheeze and turn purple.  
  
Ed waved his hands weakly. Serena kindly loosened her grip to let him take in a breath. "Come on, Ed, what do you know?" she prodded.  
  
"Okay, okay. Could you just let me go?" Serena gave him a hateful look, but, against her better judgement, she set him on his feet. She towered over the small demon.  
  
"Okay, this guy, Edwards, he worships this snake demon guy, by the name of Machida, I think. This Machida is a soul-stealer. He consumes children's souls. After the consuming, from what I've heard, things get chaotic."  
  
"How?" Serena demanded, trying to get all of the information she could out of Eddie before he went stale.  
  
"I don't know." He held up his hands, as if to defend himself. "I'm telling the truth. I swear."  
  
She looked at him hard, and decided that he was, in fact, telling the truth. "Go on."  
  
He slowly put his hands down, surprised she didn't attack him. "Okay, according to the prophecies, Angel, once he regains his humanity, can kill this guy's god. So I heard that this Edwards guy wants to kill you and maybe Angel to protect his god before the ceremony. Killing you would weaken Angel." Ed looked around the bar. All of the demons that were there had left. "You scared away all of my business!" He glared at her.  
  
"You have bigger problems to worry about Ed." She balled her fist, ready to strike again for his remark, but let it slide. "When is the ceremony?" She asked.  
  
"How should I know?" Ed shrugged.  
  
Serena shrugged too, and grabbed his neck and threw him across the room. Ed landed on his head. "Ed, you know everything that's going on. You know when the ceremony is." She picked him up and prepared to punch him.  
  
"Wait! The ceremony is in exactly two weeks from today." Ed blurted out. "Just don't hit me."  
  
"So you're saying, that is, if you're telling the truth, which you better be," Serena gave Ed a look. He put on his innocent face, "Angel will receive his humanity within a few weeks."  
  
"I guess so. But you heard none of this from me." Ed said, looking at the damage in his bar. He turned back to Serena, but she had disappeared. He cursed her. He found a twenty dollar bill lying on the bar. He stuffed it in his pocket and began to clean up his bar. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Serena punched the buttons and listened to the phone ring. The thunder boomed and threatened to downpour any second. She walked briskly along the deserted street back to the hotel. "Come on, pick up." She commanded, praying Angel had his phone on. Gunn picked up.  
  
"Yeah." He said into the phone.  
  
"What are you doing answering Angel's phone?" She asked, preoccupied by the lightning flashing above her.  
  
"Angel's kind of, uh, busy right now." She heard the sounds of a scuffle in the background.  
  
"Okay, can you give him a message?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I found out what Edwards is worshipping and when the ceremony is. I also found out his redemption is coming soon."  
  
Gunn was silent. Serena continued. "Just relay that message and come back to headquarters as soon as you're finished beating the crap out of Buddy." The scuffling grew more noticeable. "You better be careful with the cops." She warned.  
  
"Oh we are. We'll meet you back at h-q in a few." He ended the call. She shoved her phone inside her pocket just as she felt a drop of water hit her hand. Suddenly, the sky opened up, and the rain came down in buckets.  
  
Oh, wonderful. Now I'm going to look like a drowned rat. She thought to herself. She hurried through the rain until she reached the hotel. Cordelia greeted her inside.  
  
"You look happier than when you left." Cordy commented.  
  
"Yeah, well I got to beat the living crap out of someone. That's good therapy." Serena grinned. "I do feel kinda better. Minus the fact I'm sopping wet." She finger combed her hair and sighed. "Have you heard from Angel?" She took off her dripping jacket, looked around, wondering where to put it, and finally, in disgust, threw it onto the couch.  
  
"Yeah, he just got back a few seconds before you. Made a bee-line for his office." Cordy shrugged. "I don't know what got into him."  
  
Serena cautiously headed for Angel's office. She opened the door and found the small office pitch black. "Angel?" she called. She flipped on the light. She found him sitting at his desk, staring off into space, feet propped up on the desk.  
  
"Did you find anything?" Angel asked immediately, not looking at her.  
  
"Yeah." Serena sensed Angel was in major brooding mode. She told him what went down in Ed's Bar. "So, I'm thinking that we only know a fraction of what's really going on. We know that Christian wants to get rid of me and you, but I think we need to find out his whole plan, and what the heck this Machida thing is."  
  
Angel nodded absently. "Angel?" Serena called. She waved a hand in front of his face. "Can I be alone for a while?" Angel asked softly, still not meeting her eye.  
  
Serena was hurt that he didn't want to come talk to her about whatever he was thinking about, but she pushed her feelings aside and respected Angel's wishes. She reached the door, and was about to put out the light. "You know, I'm here if you do need someone to talk to, if you're tired of being alone all the time."  
  
Angel's voice cut in before she could leave. "I wasn't alone, for a while anyway." He turned to her. "Your sister. I loved her like I never thought I could love anyone. I always thought she was a.a soul-mate. I felt like we were made for each other." His eyes penetrated hers. She saw the pain and anguish that haunted him. "You remind me so much of her, it hurts. When I look at you, I see her. When I feel your heart beat, I instantly think its Buffy." He closed his eyes, trying to suppress his feelings. He knew he was hurting her.  
  
Serena had come into the room and sat down slowly, listening to Angel's voice. It hurt even more to listen to the way he talked about her sister. Tears brimmed her eyes. "You don't feel like I'm a soul-mate, like we belong together?" she asked incredulously. "Because I do. When I look in your face, I feel your pain, what you're going through." She looked hopelessly at the floor. "I know I'm not my sister. I know I can never amount to what she was to you." She looked up at his face. His face reflected sorrow, sorrow for have said anything at all. "You can never love me the way you loved her, because she's your soul-mate, your heart." She began to lose it, letting the words ramble out. Angel tried to stop her, but she ignored him. She rose to her feet, saying what she had to say through gritted teeth and tears. "But you seem to forget that I'm your redemption. I'm setting my life on the line for you. I would never do that for anyone I didn't care about. I'm beginning to thing that if it were the other way around, you wouldn't do it for me." Not knowing what else to say, she fled from the office, slamming the door behind her.  
  
*****  
  
Angel slept another dream-filled night. He went to bed knowing half of the things he said weren't true. In mind's eye, he saw Serena, not Buffy, as his soul-mate. Once upon a time, he believed that he and Buffy were one, but now.he was so confused. He thought he could never feel for anyone what he felt for Buffy. So why was a nagging feeling there, like he just let something precious slip away?  
  
As he slept, he dreamed. He saw her standing right in front of him. Her scent washed over him, the smoothness and velvety warmth of her skin ignited him; her innocence and courage and the deep love of her. He had severed their connection. He realized it and did not understand what possessed him to say such things.  
  
The other half of his soul was hers.  
  
He had a beating heart, in Serena's chest.  
  
He walked in the sun, when she did.  
  
All of these things, he once thought Buffy was. He was wrong.  
  
In an uneasy slumber, Angel wept.  
  
And dreamed.  
  
In her room, Serena cried her heart out, avoiding the need for sleep that taunted her. She eventually surrendered to the sleepless, long hours ahead, by dozing off just as the sun rose. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Serena stumbled headfirst into a busy day. She made her way downstairs and ignored Angel's presence, pouring herself a cup of stale coffee. She sat Indian-style and sipped her coffee, unable to say any words.  
  
Angel glanced at her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, as if she hadn't slept well and was crying. He knew he didn't look that great himself. His dream still shook his soul. He knew she was ignoring him. His hurtful words still burned in her mind. He could see that.  
  
Cordelia felt the tension, and almost grabbed a knife to see if she could cut through it, but thought it was inappropriate. She silently organized and reorganized the stacks of papers that were scattered everywhere. Until she felt a familiar pain, rushing at her all at once.  
  
She twitched in absolute agony and threw herself back against the wall. Her cry of pain was pathetic as she slid to the floor. Serena shouted out her name and ran towards her. The image seared itself into her mind's eye.  
  
A house.a ranch-style house in a working class neighborhood. A sign on the corner post reads VINE STREET.  
  
Angel was at her side, holding onto her arm as the vision continued to wrack her body.  
  
A child. A little, dark-haired girl, no more than five years old. She's in her pajamas, playing in her room.  
  
Serena was there as well, on the other side. She slipped a hand behind her head to keep her from banging it on the floor.  
  
A monkey. The little girl is playing with a monkey doll.  
  
Cordelia thrashed again, her hands going to her throbbing skull.  
  
Someone is in the room with her now. She turned and is smiling. She knows him. She holds the doll up for him to see.  
  
Angel and Serena helped her into a sitting position, but the vision went on, like metal spikes through her head.  
  
What is that? Something is being pointed at the girl. What is it? A gun? Is it a gun?  
  
The pain itself was as bad as it had ever been. The agony of the vision itself, and the suffering of what she saw.  
  
The child is hit in the chest by a bolt of snaking blue energy. It knocks her back to the ground. She isn't moving. She lays there, eyes wide, unseeing.  
  
Then the vision was gone, leaving only the pain. Angel helped her into her desk chair.  
  
"That seemed like a bad one." Angel said. "You okay? What did you see?"  
  
Serena brought her a glass of water. Wesley walked into the hotel just in time to see the excitement. Serena motioned for him to be silent.  
  
"It was a bad one." Cordy stated, sipping the water with trembling hands. "They're always worse when there's a child involved." Cordy looked at Angel. "Something horrible has happened to a little girl. Aubrey is her name. That's all I got, really. That and the street."  
  
Serena was already out the door with Wesley when Angel looked up. Wordlessly, he joined them with Cordelia at the car.  
  
*****  
  
Cordelia eyed the neighborhood. It was a typical working-class neighborhood, with cute little houses with fences and dogs and children running around. Usually, during the day. As soon as night fell, the neighborhood becomes silent and still. Serena tapped a fingernail on the side of the car impatiently. She was well aware that she was crammed in a car with a person who she wasn't exactly fond of. She ignored the person, or rather, vampire, in the driver's seat.  
  
An ambulance was in front of the house, and the paramedics were wheeling a small body to it. A crying mother was by the gurney's side, holding the small body's hand. No one in the car said a word. A crowd of neighbors loitered in front of the house, curious about what happened. Angel turned to Wesley.  
  
"Wes, I need you to stay here and check out the house for clues. The people will go away soon. Just find a way in and look around a bit." Angel said.  
  
"I'll go with him." Serena volunteered herself. Angel shook his head.  
  
"I'll need you to be with me at the hospital. You know me. I'm not a people person." He met her gaze and smiled weakly.  
  
"No, I don't. According to you, only Buffy knew you well." Serena spat, crossing her arms and staring at the little house. Everyone was silent once again. The tension mounted, until, finally, Wesley got out of the car.  
  
"Ah, yes, well." He murmured, not sure on what to say. "I'll meet you at the hospital." With a nod of his head, he trotted off a couple of houses away and went around to the back. Angel drove off. Everyone seemed to disperse and go home, and settle in right away, either going to bed or turning on the television. Wesley cut across the few yards and headed for the little girl's back door.  
  
I didn't know one day I would be breaking-and-entering. He thought to himself grimly. To his surprise, the door swung open easily. Inside, he found several lights on. It all happened so suddenly. Wesley realized. He made his way through the kitchen and into the family room. For a moment, he thought he heard voices, but scolded himself when he saw the television was on. He continued down the hall, concentrating heavily on what could have happened.  
  
The mother might have been watching television when the attacker did something to the little girl. He reached what looked to be the girl's room. The lights were on. It seemed to be a typical girl's room. Toys scattered all over, some littering the floor while other spilled out of a green plastic toy box shaped like a frog's head. On the floor laid a stuffed monkey, as described in Cordelia's vision. Wesley carefully stepped over the toys, and approached the girl's bed. He noticed a picture frame of the girl and her mother. He picked it up, also noticing that it didn't fit quite right into the frame. He turned it over, removed the back to get at the photo, and saw that it had been folded on one side. He unfolded it and saw a tall, smiling man, with a head of dark curly hair. He must be her father. I wonder why it was folded? Wesley struggled to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The parents might have had a nasty separation or divorce.  
  
He turned to leave the room when he stepped on something. He immediately removed the pressure so not to break it. He knelt down, and picked up a glass vial amongst plastic building blocks.  
  
Now, what would a five-year old girl be doing with this? He thought. He studied it carefully. It was about three inches long and about and inch and a half wide, the class opaque. He held it closer and noticed that strange, arcane symbols had been etched into the glass.  
  
A nasty feeling of dread passed over him. Wesley had a sneaky suspicion he knew what this was.  
  
He stood and placed the vile into his pocket.  
  
He left the child's room, turning out the light as he passed through the doorway. Cordelia said a snaking bolt of mystical energy seemed to take something from the child, leaving her alive, but empty, and now, the vial covered with sorcerous etchings, all make a kind of twisted sense to him.  
  
He had to get to the hospital and tell Angel right away. The situation was far worse than they expected.  
  
Far worse.  
  
*****  
  
Angel, Cordelia, and Serena stepped off the elevator in front of the fifth- floor Intensive Care Unit at the USC Medical Center in East Los Angeles. As the elevator door slowly slid closed behind them, they stopped to consider their options. They had been warned at the hospital's patient information desk no one other than family was allowed to visit the ICU.  
  
"So, what now?" Cordelia asked in a stage whisper. Around a corner to their right, she could see three nurses working at their station. One was a young woman and the other two were older, more weathered-looking.  
  
Angel glanced at them, and turned back towards the Slayer and Cordelia. "We'll need to get past them to find the mother and child. Serena and I will need some sort of distraction." Serena and Angel stared at Cordelia expectantly.  
  
Cordy threw up her hands and let them fall at her side. "Of course, a distraction. That's me.Distract-O-Girl."  
  
"Listen, if you don't think you're up to it, I'll." Serena began, trying to volunteer herself again.  
  
Cordy glared at her. "I'm an actress, remember?" Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Though my talents are wasted on stuff like this. So what kind of distraction did you have in mind?"  
  
Serena turned away for a moment to check the nurses' station again. Angel answered, shrugging with hands jammed into his duster pockets. "You said you're an actress," he said. "Act."  
  
"I don't know why I put up with this," muttered Cordelia as she proceeded around the corner to the nurses' station. As she walked, she finger-combed her hair and adjusted her skirt and blouse.  
  
She stopped at the counter smiling, waiting to be noticed. A black woman dressed in mint-green surgical scrubs looked up from some paperwork. She wore a tag that identified her as Dana.  
  
"Can I help you miss?" she asked.  
  
"Good question," responded Cordelia, pointing at the nurse and punctuating the word good with her finger.  
  
The nurse just stared.  
  
"Now, it's obvious to me why you're the nurse and I'm just the person standing here and."  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
The nurse was getting annoyed. She put her hands on her hips in the universal annoyed-authority-figure stance. The other two nurses behind the desk had taken notice of what was happening at the counter  
  
Cordelia could just make out Angel and Serena waiting around the corner. She gave them both an evil eye as she continued with her performance.  
  
"Yes. Yes, you can. This is the Intensive Care Unit, isn't it?"  
  
Dana in the mint-green scubs slowly nodded her head.  
  
"Great. Well, I've been feeling a little out of it lately? There's been this tingling in my hands"-she held out her hands-"and I think they've been shaking more than usual, but that could be because I'm trying to knock off the caffeine. Did you know that caffeine makes the body produced insulin and if you're trying to lose weight you should probably switch to decaf?"  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Angel giving her the hurry-up sign and she scowled.  
  
"So I was wondering, in you professional opinion, do you think this could be the beginning of something bad? A brain tumor, maybe?"  
  
The nurse added the paperwork she was holding to a stack in her arms and moved around the counter. "What I think you might need is a visit the emergency room. Why don't I walk you down there myself, hon."  
  
Cordy had to think fast. If the nurse came this way, she would notice Angel and Serena for sure. She quickly reviewed the best terminal illness performances she could remember. Ali McGraw in Love Story, Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolia, and she could never forget Barbara Hershey in Beaches.  
  
Dana gently took her by the elbow. "I'm headed that way now."  
  
Cordelia threw a hand up to her brow. "Oh, my." She said, beginning to sway, "I don't feel so good."  
  
She pitched herself forward onto the desk. Dana caught her under her arms as she began to slide from the counter. Good thing, thought Cordelia, since I don't want to lie on ICU floor. It is a hospital! Who knows what kind of diseases and germs were living there.  
  
The two other nurses came quickly around the desk to assist. Cordy let her limbs go limp, head lolling from side to side. She spotted Angel and Serena sneaking around the corner and heading down the hallway toward the rooms.  
  
Not bad, thought Cordy. In her mind, she was Brad Pitt standing on the stage of a crowded Hollywood auditorium. He tears open the envelope and reads, "The award for best portrayal of a woman suffering from some kind of horrible-yet-vague illness goes to."  
  
The nurses helper her around the reception desk and sat her in one of the chairs. There seemed to be a definite concern for her health as they paged the ICU doctor on call. Cordy only hoped that he was cute.  
  
*****  
  
Angel and Serena cautiously moved down the hallway, looking into the rooms they passed in search of the mother and child. Gunshot wounds, heard attacks, car accidents: so much pain and suffering, but not what they were searching for. They both tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as two doctors emerged from the unit ahead. Only the fact their backs were to the Slayer and vampire had saved them, for they knew how out of place they were.  
  
Serena peered into a room and motioned to Angel silently. It was the patient they were searching for.  
  
The little girl looked tiny where she lay in the hospital bed. IV bags surrounded her with tubing running from the bags to her arms.  
  
The child's mother stood next to the bed, her hand gently caressing her daughter's brow. She was speaking softly to the child.  
  
"Don't be afraid, Mommy's here. It's all right, baby girl. The doctors are going to make you well. That's it. You rest up and I bet you'll be feeling better in the morning. I really do."  
  
Angel felt self-conscious. Those words were not meant for his ears. He glanced over at Serena, to see if she felt the same way. Her reaction surprised him. She stared past him into the little room, her eyes absorbing the mother and daughter. Tears dripped off of her cheeks and onto the floor. She hastily used her sleeve to wipe them away. Angel cleared his throat.  
  
The woman looked up, her cheeks damp with tears. "Can I help you?" She frowned. "Are you a doctor?"  
  
Serena gave Angel a little shove in the direction of the room. "No." Angel gestured to a room behind him in the hall. "No, I was.visiting a friend when they brought your daughter up. How's she doing?"  
  
The woman leaned forward and kissed her child's forehead.  
  
"They don't know what's wrong with her. All the doctors in this place and nobody can tell me what's wrong with my little girl."  
  
The mother began to sob.  
  
Angel stepped forward, towards the bed, Serena following.  
  
The woman laid her palm against her daughter's brow. "I'm sorry. I'm a little upset. But I think she's going to be all right---I feel these things." She wiped fresh tears from her cheeks. "Thank you for asking."  
  
Angel stared at the little girl. She looked so frail, so helpless. She reminded him of something, chords of a memory being gently stroked.  
  
"They taped her eyes shut so they wouldn't dry out." Her mother said, making sure that the surgical tape was still holding the gauze pads in place. "It looks worse than it is."  
  
The woman began to straighten the sheet and blanket that covered her daughter.  
  
As gently as she could, Serena pressed the subject. "I don't want to pry, but in a way, we can't help it."  
  
Angel stepped up to the mother. "I'm a private investigator. Do you have any idea what might have happened to cause this?"  
  
She studied Angel's face for a moment, then stared at Serena, then looked back at her daughter. She resumed stroking the child's hair.  
  
"I had fallen asleep on the couch watching television. I remember waking up know that something was wrong. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach." She stared at Angel again. "Have you ever had that feeling." She stopped. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."  
  
"Angel," he said. "My name is Angel. This is my.this is Serena."  
  
This made the mother smile for a brief moment.  
  
"That's a nice name, Angel. My daughter would like it." She leaned close to her child's ear. "Did you hear that, Aubrey? His name is Angel. Aubrey Christina Bentone"  
  
Serena turned her head from the mother and daughter, beginning to sniffle. She quietly told Angel she would be waiting outside. He looked at her worriedly as he watched her sit in a chair outside in the hallway, slumping. He knew that she was crying. He turned his attention back to the little girl.  
  
"Aubrey is a pretty name also," Angel said. "So, when you woke up, you felt something wrong. What was it, Mrs. Bentone?" Angel asked, hoping to distract her from her grief.  
  
"Call me June, please." She corrected through her tears. She wiped her eyes with a crumpled tissue and then blew her nose.  
  
"June. What did you do then?" Angel prodded.  
  
The woman's eyes became glassy. She was back in her house, reliving the experience. "I jumped off the couch and ran to her room. I called to her first, but she didn't answer. I started screaming her name over and over again." June clutched the tissue to her quivering mouth. Her eyes brimmed with emotion. "And this is how I found her. No matter how hard I shook her, she wouldn't wake up. My baby wouldn't wake up."  
  
Angel felt the woman's grief as if it were his own. He studied the child's face, her fragile gone structure, the pale china-doll quality of her skin, her tiny delicate mouth.  
  
Then he remembered. The thing that had been gnawing at him at the back of his mind surged forward. A painful memory of his past. Another child--- another beautiful little girl touched by the unnatural.  
  
With excruciating heartache, he remembered his sister and what he had done to her.  
  
It was after he had been taken by the vampire Darla, after he had died and been buried. After he had risen from the grave as a vampire.  
  
He returned home to his family but found he could not enter the house without being invited----one of the strange new rules that governed him now that he was undead.  
  
He lured her to the door. His baby sister. He could still see her eyes, red from crying, red from mourning his death three nights previous. She had been so happy to see him again. She thought he came back to her as an angel.  
  
An angel.  
  
The monster he had become told her that he missed her terribly and asked that she invite him in so he could show her how happy he was to be back. She smiled so innocently as she took his hand and bid him enter.  
  
Angel flinched at the recollection, filled with the self-loathing and guilt that was only part of the curse upon him. He stood in the hospital room and looked down at little Aubrey Bentone, who would now forever remind him of his sweet sister and the horrors he had visited upon her, and he steeled himself against the burden of his past.  
  
He had traded his sister's innocence and love to gain entry to the family home. That had just been the beginning of the seemingly endless depravity and abomination, and yet, of all the things he had done as the monster, Angelus, what he'd done to his sister was probably the worse.  
  
Angel saw his sister lying in the hospital bed, gauze pads covering her eyes, IV tube leading from clear bags of fluid into needles in her arm. He blinked and the child was Aubrey Bentone again. Someone he could save.  
  
Here was a child in desperate need. So much more than Cordy's vision or his own mission for redemption.  
  
Aubrey's mother was singer her a lullaby when Angel reached out and placed his hand on top of Aubrey's. It was warm. Warm with life. With possibility.  
  
"June, I'd like to help her. I want to help your daughter." 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
The elevator doors parted and Wesley stepped onto the fifth floor. He had pretended to be an emotionally distraught family member to find out where Aubrey had been taken after being admitted through the Emergency Room.  
  
Wesley grimaced as he breathed hospital air. He hated hospitals; the smell, the overly bright lighting, the deceptively cheerful pastel-colored walls.he hated it even though he had his share of hospital time himself.  
  
He casually strolled around the corner toward the reception desk, trying not to look out of place, and saw a bit of commotion going on. A doctor and some nurses were fussing about a patient in the hall.  
  
"Thank you, I'm feeling much better now," Wesley overheard the woman say as he came a little closer. "So, are you married?"  
  
Wesley knew that voice.  
  
"I just don't know what the problem could be. Maybe the PEZ diet isn't for me, but Gwyneth swears she lost."  
  
Cordelia, Wesley thought, rolling his eyes. So, Cordy's the distraction. He laughed to himself.  
  
He was about to call out her name when she caught sight of him. Wesley smiled and she made a horrible face in reply. It looked as though she were having some kind of seizure until he realized that she was shaking her head no. Being the sharp character he was, Wesley guessed that she wanted him to stay away.  
  
He watched as she suddenly went rigid.  
  
"Oh," she exclaimed, as she fell back into the arms of a man Wesley believed to be a doctor, though he seemed a bit young.  
  
The commotion began all over again. Wesley noticed that while Cordy was flailing her arms about, she pointed several times down the hallway behind him.  
  
She caught his eye again and gave him a quick wink. The doctor and nurses were helping her back into her seat. The doctor was checking her heart rate with a stethoscope and talking about tests.  
  
Wesley headed down the hall in the direction she had pointed. He shook his head and smiled as he peered into various rooms looking for Angel or Serena. How anyone can buy her act as anything more than a bunch on nonsense is beyond me.  
  
Wesley found Serena sitting in a chair outside a room, head in her hands. She directed him inside, where he saw Angel sitting with June Bentone next to Aubrey's bed. He tapped on the doorframe to catch their attention. It looked like they were standing watch over the little girl, mother on one side, Angel on the other. Each held one of the child's hands in theirs.  
  
"Excuse me, Angel?"  
  
Angel gently set the girl's hand down.  
  
"Wesley." Angel motioned him to come closer to the hospital bed. The woman looked from Angel to Wesley, back to Angel. Serena walked into the room, looking around, puzzled.  
  
Angel introduced Wesley to June politely. June looked as if she had been through hell, but here was something in her eyes----a spark. It was a glimmer of hope. Wesley had seen that look before, in the eyes of others to whom Angel offered his assistance.  
  
"I'm sure we'll be doing everything in our power to help her."  
  
"Thank you," June said, as she lovingly stroked her daughter's arm.  
  
Wesley took Angel by the shoulder. "Would you excuse us for a moment, Ms. Bentone?"  
  
She nodded and turned her attention back onto her daughter as the two men and the Slayer moved into the corridor.  
  
"I went to the house as you asked." Wesley began, speaking in a hushed whisper so the child's mother wouldn't hear.  
  
"Did you find anything?"  
  
Wesley appeared nervous as he reached into his pocket. "Yes, and I found something and I don't like the looks of it one bit." He placed the glass vial in Angel's palm. "I found it on the floor of the girl's room. I seriously doubt it belongs to anyone in the household."  
  
Angel studied the vial.  
  
"The symbols appear to be demonic by nature." Wesley leaned close to Angel and gripped his arm. "With all my heart, I hope I'm wrong, but I think know what's happened to her."  
  
Serena finally spoke up.  
  
"What?"  
  
Wesley looked past Angel into the hospital room, at June and her daughter. June still sat with Aubrey's lifeless hand in hers. Her eyes were closed and her mouth moved silently. Wesley guessed she was praying. He looked back at the vampire and the Slayer.  
  
"The girl's life force is missing." Wesley leaned back against the doorframe and sighed. "I think somebody's taken her soul."  
  
Angel walked back in, seriousness cloaking his face. He touched the mother's arm. "June. I need to know if there was anyone who might want to hurt your daughter. A friend of the family or family member, maybe?" Angel asked bluntly.  
  
June's eyes widened as the meaning of his question became clear. "What do you mean? Do you think somebody did this to Aubrey, someone who we knew?"  
  
Serena put a comforting hand on the broken woman's shoulder. "We just need to consider every possibility." Serena said in her most soothing voice. "Is there anyone, family or friend, that could've had access to your house, maybe someone you were fighting with?" She recalled Wesley saying something about a folded picture.  
  
June twisted a tissue in her hands. "Just my ex, David. We had it out a few weeks back about child support, but." She shook her head empathetically. "No. No, he's a lowlife but I don't think even he'd sink low enough to hurt his own flesh and blood."  
  
Angel handed June a business card. "We're going to continue with the investigation on our end. If you think of anything that may be useful to the case, please don't hesitate to call us anytime."  
  
She took the business card from him. "But we haven't even talked about your rates. I mean, how much does."  
  
"I want to help," Angel interrupted her. "We all do. If you can afford to pay, fine. If not.I want to help."  
  
June's mouth just opened slightly, but she had no words to express the gratitude that blossomed on her features. After a moment, she glanced away, overcome with emotion.  
  
Angel stared good and hard at the little girl, absorbing the sight into his memory. He knew that there was a good fight ahead, but he wanted to make sure that he knew what he was fighting for. He turned around to find Serena staring at him thoughtfully. She let out a long sigh and turned.  
  
"So are we forgetting anything?" Wesley asked. Just then, Cordelia Chase's voice rang out.  
  
"I really don't think so, Phil. A couple of Advils and a good night's sleep and I should feel daisy-fresh."  
  
She was being pushed in a wheelchair down the hallway by a good-looking young doctor.  
  
"I'm very concerned about these dizzy spells, Miss Chase. We'll have some blood work done and then."  
  
Cordelia saw Serena, Angel, and Wesley and smiled. "Hey guys."  
  
Wesley began to clap. The doctor eyed him suspiciously. "A brilliant performance, Cordelia. I saw a bit of it as I came in."  
  
Beaming, she got up from the chair without so much as a hint of a problem. "You think so? So, what's up?"  
  
The doctor was confused. "Miss Chase? Maybe you should sit down before."  
  
She turned away from the gang for a moment and smiled radiantly at the doctor. "That's okay, Phil, I think I'm feeling much better now."  
  
She returned her attention back to her friends. "So did you find anything out? What's wrong with the little girl?"  
  
"That's something we all have to research. What I'd like you to do is talk to the girl's mother," Angel pointed to the room down the hall. "See if you can get us anything on the people they have contact with from day to day."  
  
Cordelia nodded. "Check."  
  
"Be sure to ask about her husband." Serena added. "I have a weird feeling that she may have more to do with him than she's letting on."  
  
The doctor cleared his throat, annoyed. "Miss Chase, the tests?"  
  
Cordelia smiled at him again. "I'm suddenly feeling fine, Phil. Looks like I'm cured."  
  
She proceeded down the hall toward Aubrey Bentone's room.  
  
The four watched her go. The doctor glared at them.  
  
"It's a miracle!" Serena exclaimed, throwing up her hands overdramatically.  
  
Angel, Serena, and Wesley left Phil standing with his empty wheelchair and walked to the bank of elevators. The look on the young physician's face said he still wasn't sure what had just happened.  
  
Angel turned to Serena, a grim expression on his face. "Your pal Ed seems to know a lot of stuff." He started.  
  
She sighed. "Give me the vial. I'll go pay a visit and be back later." She held out her hand expectantly. "Oh, and a little money to pay him for his services."  
  
Angel gave her a weary look and handed her the vial and a $50 bill. The elevator reached the ground floor and the doors opened. "Thank you very much!" she exclaimed, kissing the money and leaving the two men on the elevator, wondering what had gotten into her.  
  
*****  
  
Serena had Ed pinned up against the wall with one hand, and was checking her nails on the other hand. She yawned, and turned to glare at Eddie.  
  
"Come on, Eddie. Don't you get tired of playing these games?" She asked, beginning to crush his windpipe. Ed made a big mistake of trying to hit the Slayer. She quickly taught him a lesson by planting her foot nice and hard right in his midsection, making his face turn blue. "A little girl's life is on the line. I'm not going to stop until you tell me what I need to know. You know that. So make it easy on yourself and tell me what this is," she said, holding up the vial, "and I'll be on my way."  
  
Ed made a motion with his hands and she dropped him to his feet. She let him catch his breath. "Can I see it?" he asked cautiously. Still glaring, she, against her better judgment, handed Ed the vial.  
  
Ed studied the vial carefully. He opened the vial and sniffed. "Interesting," he muttered in a low voice, "It hasn't been used."  
  
"What's it been used for?" Serena asked impatiently, leaning in to study the vial herself.  
  
Eddie sighed and handed the vial back to Serena. "Nasty business. It's used as a receptacle for a soul." He shook his head and headed back to his counter. Serena followed. "It hasn't been used yet, or it would have a funky smell. Kind of like lilac and cinnamon with a little bit of nail polish remover thrown in for a good measure.if what I'm told is true."  
  
Serena slipped the vial back into her pocket. "Fill me in. What are souls used for?"  
  
Ed scratched his head. "Let me see." Eddie was a supernatural fanatic, reading all books on everything. Since his wife mysteriously disappeared 20 years before, Ed vowed to bring her back. 20 years, and he still hadn't succeeded. He began to name off some uses for souls. "Some heavy-duty spells require for completion. And from what I remember telling you last time, sounds like a soul-hungry demon out on the loose."  
  
"One of my friends had a vision about this little girl. Whoever captured her soul was someone familiar to her. It most definitely wasn't a demon." Serena countered.  
  
"That's all I know. There are some drugs out that call for souls. Its relatively new, called Uforia. Most demons would trade in their own mothers for the taste. This drug makes them feel fearless, I hear. Not a care in the world."  
  
Serena decided to recap, making sure she remembered everything. "Okay, souls for spells, food, and drugs."  
  
"Right." Ed nodded. "Is that all?"  
  
Serena scowled, but decided that was all the information that she could get out of him. For now. She threw the $50 bill on the counter. "Thanks for the info, Eddie. Keep the change." He picked up the bill, turning toward his register. He turned back around, maybe a second later, and she was gone.  
  
Galaway, 1752  
  
"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep."  
  
Liam watched his little sister, Katherine, as she whispered her bedtime prayers. She knelt by her bedside, hands folded, head bowed.  
  
"If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."  
  
In her white nightgown, she looked like an angel. He watched the beautiful young girl bless herself, completing her bedtime ritual. Liam clapped his hands together.  
  
"That's it, then." He said, pulling back the covers. "Time fer sleep."  
  
He had been on his way out the door to town when she asked him to listen to her prayers and tuck her in. It did take valuable time away from his carousing at the pub, but how could he turn the sweet thing down?  
  
She giggled happily, sliding beneath the covers.  
  
"What's a soul, Liam? What is it really?"  
  
He pulled the heavy blanket up to her chin and tried to think of a proper answer. He fumbled with the memory of what he had learned in catechism so long ago. "It's the most wondrous thing, Kathy. A soul makes us who we are. It's what the Almighty saw fit to separate us from the beasts."  
  
Katherine's eyes twinkled. "What does it look like?"  
  
Liam put a hand on his chest for dramatic effect. He pretended to be overcome with emotion. "A soul's the loveliest thing you'll ever see. It's made up of all the colors of the rainbow and some that haven't even been thought up yet. To look at one, why, the beauty of the thing'd make you cry with sheer joy."  
  
She sat up, a broad smile on her face. "Is that what my soul looks like? Is it lovely too? Is it?"  
  
He made her lie back and tucked the covers under her chin again.  
  
"Your soul, my sweet darling, puts all others to shame."  
  
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her tiny arms shot out from beneath the covers and wrapped themselves tightly around his neck.  
  
"Don't go tonight, brother. I don't want the Devil to take your soul."  
  
Liam gently pulled away from the child's embrace.  
  
"Now, what makes you think that old Scratch could have the soul of a chaste man like meself?" He ruffled his sister's hair, smiling down on her.  
  
Katherine was deadly serious. She stared up at her big brother with eyes filled with concern. "Da says that yer already on the road to damnation with the way you carry on each night. He said that it's only a matter of time before the Devil takes his due."  
  
Liam's anger flared as it so often did with any topic having to do with his father. He lived life to its fullest and his father disapproved of his only son's carefree lifestyle. The two despised each other. No matter what he said or did, Liam could not elicit from his father the kind of respect he felt he deserved. His father said he was nothing but a layabout and a scoundrel who wouldn't amount to anything. And wanting so to be the perfect son, Liam did everything in his power to live up to his father's expectations.  
  
"Don't you be worryin' about yer big brother now," he said, pushing aside the rage that he felt over his da's hurtful words. "My soul may be a bit tarnished in places, but I'll be damned if I'll let the Devil have the tiniest piece of it."  
  
He kissed her on the head again. "Now go to sleep and have only wonderful dreams."  
  
He blew out the flame of the candle by his sister's bedside and walked to the door. "I'll see you in the mornin'," he said, as he gave her a wave and gently shut the door.  
  
Outside his sister's bedroom, he adjusted his collar and smoothed his sleeves. Now he was ready to go out into the night and prove his father right again. A night of debauchery awaited for him, or so he hoped.  
  
Anna, a servant in the household, walked toward him, carrying a stack of fresh linens to his parents' room at the end of the hall.  
  
The pretty young thing looked at the rakish Liam and smiled.  
  
"Goin' out tonight, young sir?"  
  
Liam watched her backside as she passed and a devilish grin spread across his face. "Aye, Anna, I've got an overpowerin' urge to dirty up me soul."  
  
*****  
  
Liam. It was a name no one had called him in over two centuries, but he could still hear it lovingly flow from his sister's lips as if it were yesterday. Angel ran his thumb thoughtfully along the archaic symbols etched into the surface of the vial, the memory painfully fresh.  
  
As if reading his mind, Serena gently touched his shoulder and smiled rigidly at him. Even though she was still hurt by his words, Serena could sense that Angel was going through something tough, and the least she could do was be there for him. There was plenty of time to be mad at him later.  
  
Gunn stared at them, thinking. "You know, I heard about this drug a while back.its made from souls or something. I never really believed it." Gunn waited for a reaction.  
  
"I have this gut feeling that it's got something to do with Machida. Did anyone find out anything on it?" Serena asked.  
  
Wesley pulled out a pad of notes. "Ah, yes, Machida. Its an ancient being, absorbs souls." Wesley scanned his notes. "Ah, yes, here it is. A worshipper of this being is to collect two hundred souls for the ceremony, at least. I see that the collection has started in the Los Angeles area." Wesley threw the pad onto Cordelia's desk in disgust, scattering papers everywhere.  
  
"Hey!" Cordy screeched. "Look what you did!" She stared at her desk, horrified. She pointed a finger at Wesley, glaring at him. She threw her hands up with exasperation. "Now I'm going to have to reorganize my desk. I had everything where I wanted it, and now you messed it up!" She kept on sputtering under her breath as she picked up papers off of the floor.  
  
Serena left the office, feeling cramped and uneasy. The image of that little girl lying in that hospital bed burned into her brain. In many ways, she wished her mother was still around to stand by her side when Serena needed her. She wished she were a little girl again and that she could run into her mother's arms and never let her mother go. Tears ran down her face. She could never have that, ever. She was alone. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
Cordelia paid for her salad and Diet Coke and stepped away from the cash register. She scanned the hospital cafeteria looking for June and found her at a table in the back, sipping coffee and staring off into space. She seemed a million miles away, probably in a place where her daughter was safely tucked into her bed, sound asleep and perfectly healthy.  
  
Cordelia approached and set her tray down on the table. "Hope you don't mind, I haven't eaten anything since some rice cakes this morning and we know how not filling they can be."  
  
"What?" June mumbled, startled by the voice. She stared at Cordelia as she sat down. "Oh, no. Don' worry. I don't mind. Please, eat."  
  
Cordy took a sip of her drink and began to pick through her salad. "Some of this lettuce looks as though it could use a jolt from those electric paddles you see on ER."  
  
"I wish I hadn't quit smoking, 'cause I could really use a cigarette right about now. I'm going to jump out of my skin." June bit at a hangnail, nervously looking around the cafeteria.  
  
"Maybe coffee isn't the best thing to be drinking if you're feeling a bit tense?" Cordy said. She speared a cherry tomato and popped it into her mouth. "Just a thought."  
  
June didn't seem to hear her. "Don't you think I should be talking to the police? You know, since somebody may have done this to her?"  
  
Cordy continued to pick at her plate, searching for something other than wilted lettuce and bean sprouts. "I don't think the police would know how to deal with this one." She sighed and pushed the salad aside. "Think I've had more than enough of that, thank you. You'd think that a salad from a hospital would be a little healthier, maybe?"  
  
"Why?" June asked. "What makes this different from anything else? If somebody did this to my little girl, they have to be caught."  
  
"Let's just say that Angel has a tendency to work on cases that are a bit.funny," Cordelia said carefully. "Not There's Something About Mary funny, but funny weird, and I'm sorry, I can't see the LAPD dealing with some of the funny weird stuff I've seen since coming to LA."  
  
June wrapped both hands around her coffee mug and leaned toward Cordelia. "Are you.are you saying Angel and Serena handle things that.that can't be explained?"  
  
Cordelia took a sip of Diet Coke, crunching on some ice as she considered her reply. "Their cases do have a tendency to lean toward the bizarre."  
  
June was beginning to panic. "Something.unnatural has happened to my child? How is that possible?"  
  
"That's what we all intend to find out."  
  
June put her hands to her face. "I keep telling myself that everything is going to be all right, but."  
  
Cordelia shook the ice around in her cup. "Is there anyone that you know that's into the bizarre stuff? Summoning demons, blood sacrifice, devil worshipping, the Atkins diet? Any of those ring a bell?"  
  
With a laugh, June took her hands away from her face. She seemed to think Cordelia was joking. "No, none of that. The worst thing I can think of is that my ex is a compulsive gambler. Believe me, that was pretty bad."  
  
She picked up a sugar packet and began to play with it.  
  
"David was bad. It was a sickness with him, really. That's why we split up." She looked at the mess she was making. "I'll never forget the first time I realized how bad it was. We were just coming home from the hospital after Aubrey was born."  
  
June started to move the sugar around with her finger.  
  
"We pulled up in front of the house and there was this man sitting on our steps. David got all nervous when he saw him. I asked who he was and David said it was just somebody he knew." Cordy slid the pepper over to the woman to add to her mixture.  
  
June smiled and continued her story. "So we got out of the car and David went over to talk to him. He introduced me and Aubrey. I think his name was Carmen."  
  
June sprinkled some pepper into the mixture and mixed them together.  
  
"Anyway, Carmen didn't give me or the baby a second look. He just started punching David in the face over and over again, screaming that he wanted his money by the end of the week."  
  
"Let me guess, shark, and not the Jaws kind," Cordelia interjected.  
  
June scraped the pile of sugar and pepper into her hand.  
  
"Yep, that's when I first found out he owed some very bad men an awful lot of money. We paid it off with the savings I had set aside to fix up the baby's room."  
  
She brushed the mixture in her hand into her empty mug. Her eyes began to fill. "And that wasn't the last time we got visits from Carmen, or other guys doing the same job. I was so afraid that I bought a gun to protect myself and Aubrey before I got smart and threw him out."  
  
She wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffed. She looked at Cordelia and smiled. "No devil worshippers in my life. Just one big loser."  
  
Cordelia wasn't sure how to respond to this and began to clean up. "We should get back upstairs. Maybe Aubrey's tests have come back and they can tell us."  
  
June interrupted. "Are they good?"  
  
Cordy was taken off guard, not sure of the meaning of the woman's question. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Your friends, Serena and Angel. Are they any good at what they do?"  
  
There was a look of desperation in the mother's eyes. Cordelia could see she was losing strength; she needed something to keep her afloat.  
  
Cordelia reached out and grabbed the woman's hand. "Are they any good?" She smiled. "Let me just put it this way. When Serena and Angel are working separate, they are probably the best in the business. But together, they are unstoppable." Cordelia thought for a moment. "If there ever comes a time when everybody's given up, when you've given up.Angel won't. He's just not built that way."  
  
She gave the woman's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'd say that's pretty damn good."  
  
*****  
  
"Angel. I found something." Serena called, staring at the same book she had been staring at three hours before.  
  
Angel approached and sat across from her. "Anything interesting?"  
  
"Yeah, I found something that might help." She turned the book around and handed it to Angel, pointing to the picture. "It's a sorcerous device called the collector and it's used to extract souls and it's stored in." She pulled out the vial, "this."  
  
She continued. "Once the soul is collected, its used in many different ways, as I told you before. The souls can also be collected, like some freak who likes to collect them for a living. There's also the demon who eats souls, much like the one we're after. And the drugs." Angel handed the book back to her.  
  
"Cordy call yet?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah, she called a little while ago. Said that June was going to stay on a cot in Aubrey's room tonight, so she was going home to get some sleep."  
  
"How's the girl?"  
  
"She's the same, but Cordy did learn that Daddy Bentone is a compulsive gambler, and often owes various loan sharks quite a bit of money," Serena said standing up. "I think we should talk to Daddy."  
  
"I was thinking the same thing." Angel said, smiling at her.  
  
"Isn't that funny?" She snapped, as if saying she still hadn't forgotten what he said to her. "Cordy said that Mom has supposedly lost track of him, but I have a way of finding him. Just leave it to me."  
  
"How?" Angel asked, the smile disappearing immediately.  
  
"You'll find out later." Serena told him.  
  
"Okay. Go, get some rest, find out where Bentone is and meet here at dusk." Angel instructed.  
  
"Dusk," Serena repeated, nodding in agreement. She threw him a hurt look, as if waiting for him to apologize to her, but Angel said nothing. With a huff of anger, she walked up the stairs to her room.  
  
*****  
  
David Bentone tossed the olive-green duffel bag onto the mattress and stuffed some underwear and socks inside. He glanced at his watch. Only three more hours before he was supposed to meet Kendall at the bus station to make the exchange, and then it was out of LA for good.  
  
The crystal vial was resting in the center of his pillow next to the bag. Gently, he picked it up, marveling at the transcendent beauty of its ever- changing contents. He stroked the cool glass with the tips of his fingers and watched the silver, mercurial liquid inside transform to a billowing mist of the deepest red.  
  
Red was Aubrey's favorite color.  
  
A slight hint of emotion stirred within him. He still couldn't believe he did it to his baby girl, but he was almost dead inside. He would do anything to pay off the notorious loan shark, and this guy, Edwards, had the perfect solution. Just steal the soul and he would pay off the loan, including the interest. It was an offer that Bentone couldn't refuse.  
  
He went to the bathroom, unspoiled a large wad of toilet tissue and began to wrap the crystal. All he needed was to deliver damaged goods to Kendall, who was Edward's middle man. Confident that it was protected, he carefully placed the fragile package inside his bag between layers of underwear.  
  
Bentone was startled by a sudden knock at his apartment door, but then remembered he had called for take-out earlier.  
  
"Come on in, door's open." He called out as he fished a ten-dollar bill from his wallet and headed for the door. "Hope you remember the chips!"  
  
He swung open the door, expecting to see an acne-faced teen with his sandwich, but instead found himself looking at a beautiful young woman and a very angry man.  
  
"No chips, just questions." The man snarled as he pushed Bentone back into the apartment. The man had dark hair, blazing eyes, and wore a long, black coat.  
  
Bentone stumbled backward, tripped and fell. From the floor, he watched the young woman close the door behind them.  
  
"Easy, Angel," The woman said to the man. "We don't want him broken before we get the answers we're looking for."  
  
Who are these two? Bentone thought in a panic. Did Edwards lie? Are they from my pal Benny the Wrench, the loan shark?  
  
He scrambled to his feet and lunged for his nightstand. He withdrew a nasty looking knife from the door and brandished it at the one called Angel. "Who the hell are you? What do you want?"  
  
Angel glared. "We've got some questions about your daughter."  
  
Bentone held the knife tighter. They know, he thought. He could feel his guilt spread across his face like a mask.  
  
The young woman stepped forward and Bentone lashed out with the knife.  
  
"Keep away from me!" he threatened.  
  
Serena had enough. She grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip, bent the arm back painfully and forced him to drop the blade.  
  
"That wasn't too smart, was it, David?" Angel asked as he stood there, hands clasped and an amused smile on his face.  
  
Bentone cried out as Serena kicked the knife blade out of reach and drove him to his knees.  
  
"I'll let you go if you promise to answer our questions. Do we have a deal?" Serena asked him.  
  
Bentone shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about," he gasped. "I haven't seen my daughter in."  
  
Serena pulled his arm back farther and emphasized each word. "Do we have a deal?"  
  
"Yes, yes, yes!" Bentone screamed as the pain intensified.  
  
Serena let go of his wrist. She turned to Angel. He still had an amused smile on his face.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"For a while there, you were really quiet. I guess you came back to life." Angel said, crossing his arms.  
  
"Sorry, something put a damper on my mood," she said, giving Angel a look, "but I had enough. I just want this done. I had a lot of pent up anger. But don't worry, I feel better now. And I want him to answer our questions."  
  
Bentone slowly stood, massaging his aching arm. "Who.who are you two? Who sent you?" he asked as he walked to his bed and sat down.  
  
"I'm Angel, and you already met Serena." He pointed to the young woman. "We're working for your wife and daughter and we think you know why."  
  
Bentone stared at Angel. There was something about him, something that told him it was no use denying his involvement. Maybe it was Angel's eyes, like the wrath of God staring down on him. Or maybe it was the promise of something else.something far removed from heaven.  
  
"I.just ran outta choices. I owed so much they probably woulda killed me just to make an example to the others."  
  
"They should." Serena spat, feeling no remorse for the man.  
  
Bentone buried his face in his hands. "I was gonna leave town. But this guy kinda dropped into my life, said he had a way I could clear my debt."  
  
Bentone looked up, mixture of fear and shame in his gaze.  
  
Serena moved to stand beside Angel. "Let me guess. Young guy, handsome, in a creepy sort of way?" Serena asked, sarcasm dripping from her tongue.  
  
Bentone blinked in surprise and nodded. "Rich guy named Christian Edwards."  
  
"And how did he say you could pay off your debt?" Angel asked.  
  
Bentone averted his eyes. "At first, I thought he was some kinda nut with a lot of cash, so I went along with it." He picked something up off the bed and tossed to Angel. "Then he gave me this and I didn't know what to think anymore."  
  
Angel caught the object wrapped in plastic. As he peeled away the bubble wrap, an empty glass vial fell to the floor. Angel gazed with revulsion at the soul collector in his hands.  
  
Serena bent and retrieved the fallen vial. "We found another one of these at your wife's house the other night."  
  
Bentone nodded. "Edwards gave me extras---in case I screwed up."  
  
He was beginning to feel shame for was he had done all over again. "He.Edwards said all I had to do was point it at her.and I'd be free and clear."  
  
He glanced up and recoiled in horror. Something had happened to Angel's face; his brow had grown thicker, his eyes had taken on a yellowish, bestial hue and his teeth.  
  
"You pointed this thing at your own daughter?" Angel snarled.  
  
"He said she wouldn't be hurt.that the collector would just take her soul," Bentone stammered, heart racing with terror. He began to cry, furious, ashamed and very afraid of this man who had become a monster.  
  
"Her soul. I don't believe in God, and I sure as hell don't believe in the idea of souls. I though he was crazy. I'd give him something I didn't even believe in and my problems would be solved."  
  
Bentone looked pleadingly at Angel, then at Serena, then back at Angel. The Slayer's face remained rigid, as if carved from stone. "You gotta believe me. I didn't want to hurt my girl. I just had to get out from underneath what I owed."  
  
Angel's features softened as he slid the collector in his coat pocket. Suddenly, he looked like a man again. "Aubrey's soul. Do you still have it?"  
  
Bentone stood and shifted from one foot to the other. "I'm supposed to meet Kendall, who will deliver the soul to Edwards, at a bus station----to make the exchange."  
  
Angel leaned forward to glare at him. "Give it to me."  
  
Bentone backed away and pointed at the duffel. "Its in there.in the bag." He said hurriedly.  
  
Serena went to the duffel bag and rummaged through its contents. Carefully, she removed something wrapped in layers of toilet paper. She removed the tissue and stared with wonder at the wonder at the glass vessel. "Mother a God, it's.beautiful."  
  
Angel went to her side. Both seemed overcome by the beauty of the vial's contents. Bentone watched them, and felt the guilt in his heart continue to grow. Perhaps, he thought, with the help of these two, he could set things straight with his daughter.  
  
A tremendous explosion shook him from his reverie as the door to his apartment splintered and crashed open with the force of a tremendous kick.  
  
Three powerful figures in trench coats strode in, features hidden by upturned collars, fedoras atop their heads.  
  
"Bentone," one of them said, his voice cold and dead. "We've come for Mr. Edward's property." 


End file.
